News and Advice

Adapting Your Interview Style to Uncover the Best Candidate for the Job

Once you’ve finally narrowed down the candidate pool, next comes the challenge of conducting effective interviews that help you zero in on the candidates that rise to the top of the heap. An effective interviewing strategy is crucial to your ability to bring top talent on board.

However, many companies struggle with the interview process, which is different today than it was just a few years ago. We’ve become a digitized society, and this has affected both how candidates are reaching out to you, and the methods used in the interview process.

With a wider pool of qualified candidates within your reach, and more options for engaging with them in an interview, the new challenge for hiring managers is learning how to adapt their interview style for each individual candidate. Here are a few tips for adjusting your interview style to the candidate in front of you.

Decide on the Most Suitable Type of Interview

The position being filled and the type of information you’re looking for will determine the best method for interviewing each candidate. In-person interviews aren’t always the best option, especially if you’re looking to prescreen candidates for a more in-depth interview process.

For instance, if you’re looking to assess the candidate’s overall communication skills or clarify points made on their resume, a phone interview is generally sufficient as screening process. When it comes to more sensitive issues, like salary or background checks, candidates may feel more at ease answering these questions over the phone rather than face to face.

The In-Person Interview

Before you bring a candidate in for an in-person interview, make sure you’ve taken the time to prepare questions that uncover answers and personality traits you’re looking for. In-person interviews fall within three distinct categories – competency assessments, behavioral/personality fit, and situational, which assess how the candidate would respond to various challenges or tasks of the position.

By thinking about the goal of the interview, and planning questions accordingly, you’re making the most effective use out of both yours and the candidate’s time.

Start by Putting Them at Ease

Both you and the interviewee want to put your best foot forward in an interview. It’s normal for both parties to be equally nervous during the interview process. However, it’s your responsibility to put the candidate at ease, so they feel comfortable enough to express their expertise and confidence in their abilities to meet the expectations you’ve set forth for the position.

Begin the interview with casual conversation.

Don’t jump into the tough questions first, but rather ease into them naturally through conversation.

Ask open-ended questions that give the candidate a chance to think through and elaborate on their answers.

Listen more than you talk.

Let Us Help You Discover the Best Talent for Your Business

What’s the surest way of bringing the most qualified talent onto your team? Working with a provider of staffing solutions that understands the unique needs of your business and knows how to find the exact candidates you’re looking for. Reach out to us at PMO Partners today and let us help you build a team for success.